Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Well, we’ve had the extremes: extreme heat (summer in winter) and an extremely small amount of the rain that was promised by El Nino.But the Master Gardeners tell us that the seeds they planted last month are doing really well! They’ll bring the seedlings and seed packets to share with you for FREE at the Green Tent this Sunday, February 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.Here’s what you can choose from:Heirloom Broccoli Raab — aka rapini, a very popular veggie in Japan that is catching on in the U.S. Be the first on your block!Red Lettuce — aka Cutting Lettuce, Sea of Red which is as lovely to look at as it is to eat.

Sugar Daddy Snap Peas — eat them pods and all, for a raw snack, in a stir fry, blanched or sautéed. Delicious.Edible calendula — Butterfly flowers that are good for people to eat, too! This variety is called “Flashback” (whatever that means to you!) Mild Mustard Green mix — for salads or your morning smoothie.True Italian Arugula — spicy green, great in salads.Baby Pak Choi — (aka Bok Choy) add to that stir fry with the snap peas.Heirloom Cutting Mix lettuce — baby leaf sized.Catalina Spinach — Baby Leaf.Tuscan Baby Kale — are you sensing a theme here?Slow Bolt CilantroItalian Gigante ParsleyFor a great gardening website and email newsletter visit http://www.gardeninginla.net where Yvonne Savio, the retired director of the MG program, treats you to monthly tips for your SoCal garden.And please remember to bring your empty plastic six packs to the MGs so they can continue to plant up a storm!

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Promoting ways to a better planet, and community....

DREAMECO CRAFTS is an eco friendly company born out of artistic sensibilities and household discards. They are artists and educators who are teaching the public how to use what they have in their homes to create household items and extend the life of their items to produce less waste. Classes include crafts, sewing and visual arts. Through classes, workshops and free events they turn strangers into neighbors.DREAMECO CRAFTS will be at The Green Tent this Sunday, February 21, from 9am-2pm. Stop by and learn about upcoming events including...ARTIST TRADING CARDS with Amy Bauer Join the increasingly popular global Artist Trading Cards movement, and explore your creative side in a cheap and fun way. Think of them as baseball cards for artists—you can trade them, use them as greeting cards, or just keep them to commemorate a special memory. Make some cards and become part of this exciting worldwide community, and trade with your classmates at the end of class. Click here for more information and to register for the class.STEPPIN INTO ART...The next Mar Vista Art Walk is Thursday, March 3, from 6-9pm on Venice Blvd. between Inglewood and Beethoven. Organizers are looking for volunteers to help out ...click here for details. And if you are an actor, poet, thespian who has a scene, monologue, soliloquy, etc., please get involved; email rich.heaven@gmail.com.Husband and wife team Richard Hecht and Amy Bauer are

Saturday, February 13, 2016

My Sustainable Plate

Eating for a healthy body and a healthy planet

Come meet Community Nutrition Specialist PhiVan Ha at the Green Tent this Sunday and learn how to shrink your carbon footprint while you improve your health.She's turning the Green Tent into an interactive information booth! Visitors are welcomed to create their own Q&A session. Catering to their specific inquiries about health and nutrition, PhiVan direct participants to helpful information using an iPad instead of wasteful paper handouts. My Community Nutrition is dedicated to empowering individuals and families to build a nourishing and thriving community through nutrition workshops and community collaborative events. They collaborate with many community organizations to build relationships with leaders and stakeholders to help build a healthy and thriving Los Angeles community. Their collaborative partners include the American Diabetes Association, Let's Move West LA, Downtown's Women Center, Los Angeles Community Garden Council, Emerson Avenue Community Garden Council, and many more.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

This Sunday at The Green Tent, the Garden School Foundation will be making seed bombs — the perfect way to spread the love for Valentine’s Day! Bring the kiddos by to cultivate a new generation of guerrilla gardeners and teach the little ones that you can garden anywhere!The Garden School Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides interactive garden-based education to under served-children across LA in their outdoor living classrooms.Since 2003, they’ve been turning asphalt into ecosystems, working to create a healthy, educated and aware future generation that care for their bodies and for the earth. GSF’s Seed To Table (S2T) program, which is comprised of K-5 year round curriculum, operates in six Title I elementary schools (schools where a majority of families live below the poverty line) and their new Greenhouse Program teaches vocation-based curriculum to students with developmentally disabilities at Widney Career and Transition Center. GSF holds Community Garden Days every month, providing a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together and volunteer in one of their school gardens. Please visit their website if you are interested in participating in a Community Garden Day or if you would be interested in learning about City Seedlings, a week-long summer camp that has two sessions this summer: June 20-24 and June 27-July 1.